Shared Dream Series Forever
by Stephanie Loss
Summary: How did Angel know that Joyce had died?


TITLE: Shared Dream Series: Forever

AUTHOR: Stephanie Loss

DISCLAIMER: If I had created everything, I wouldn't have to be writing this fic, you would have seen it on TV.

TIMELINE: Between Buffy ep "The Body" and "Forever"

SPOILERS: Buffy's "The Body"

SYNOPSIS: How did Angel know that Joyce had died?

DISTRIBUTION: Want. Take. Have. But remember, even Faith would let me know where she'd posted it..

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the first of a series.. not the first fic in a series, but just the first one I wrote. I'm thinking like a post-Amends would be the first fic in this story, but the series revolves around the idea that maybe the guest-spots in each other's dreams didn't stop once Buffy and Angel temporarily defeated the First………….. I want to thank myself for writing "And the Rest of My Life." I stole the beginning of that fic for the beginning of the dream sequence. That scene is right there with the second half of Becoming I and II. (Of which, I've been able to make myself watch it a grand total of 3 times..)

FEEDBACK: Like air, sex and chocolate… you know the rest…

RATING: If you could watch Buffy 4th season, you won't have any problems reading this.

At this point in her life, it was hard to remember how long she had been the Slayer. Time ran together, and there really wasn't much of a point to keeping track of it. She had her constants, and that was all that mattered. There would be something or someone trying to kill her. There would be pain. Her greatest tragedies would follow her greatest happiness, and most importantly, those she loved the most would always leave her. As was proved again tonight.

Merrick had started it all. He had to go and die when she needed him, and it wasn't fair. Then her father, Angel, Riley, and countless others that either died or ran away from her crazy life. Today her mother was added to that list.

Giles had taken the remaining Summers women home after the scene at the morgue. Dawn immediately disappeared upstairs while Giles made tea for himself and Buffy. Over that tea, they discussed the immediate future. After that discussion, a promise to return in the morning, and a lingering fatherly hug, Giles excused himself to return home, and mourn for Joyce in his own ways.

When she went upstairs, she followed the sound of sobbing to her mother's bedroom. Dawn was sprawled on the bed, crying with a renewed strength. Buffy joined her sister on the bed, and Dawn curled into her older sister for comfort. With her sister secure in her arms, Buffy ran a hand over Dawn's hair. Too many things had happened to the younger Summers that day and the emotional turmoil soon took it's toll. Her sobbing slowly lost its energy and soon Dawn was asleep. But despite the physical and emotional exertions that had filled the day of the Slayer, Buffy found sleep eluding her. It wasn't until the sun started its daily journey across the sky that she found her eyes drooping.

In the City of Angel's, a souled vampire slowly entered his slightly run down, but still upscale lair a little before sunrise. He was tired, his head and heart ached. The little blonde that held his heart safe was hurting. The pain was even worse than when he left her.

But he couldn't go to her in the daylight, and his night had been taken up by fighting an evil that didn't care his soul was in agony. As soon as the sun set next he would go to her and try to heal the pain eating away her heart. Until then he would do the only thing he could do, sleep, so he could take care of her when he could. He fell into his bed.

In her sleep, she slid down from her sitting position against the headboard.

In his sleep, he turned onto his back.

She turned onto her left side, hand grasping for the one hand that had given her so much comfort in the past.

He turned onto his right side, hand grasping for the lithe love of all his long life.

She knew she was dreaming. After that day, how could the discovery of her mother's death not invade her dreams?

"Hey Mom!" She called out as she walked in the door. Her smile grew. She turned and saw a vase of flowers sitting on the table next to the door. Most likely from her Mom's date the night before. She carefully removed the card, "'Thanks for the lovely evening. See you soon? Brian.' Still a couple of guys getting things right." Buffy added after reading the card.

Buffy wanted to be wary for her Mom. Dating on the Hellmouth was a bad idea. After Ted... wouldn't she get the idea that dating wasn't a safe thing to do?

Still Buffy couldn't say anything against her Mom dating. After everything the Summers women had gone through in the past year, Buffy couldn't begrudge her Mom a little fun. She, of course, refused to think of the extent of that "fun."

She replaced the card and called up the stairs, "Hey Flower-Getting Lady! Do you want me to pick up Dawn from school?" Buffy frowned at the silence. Where was Joyce? "Mom?" She called questionably into the direction of the kitchen. Still nothing. "Mom?" She turned towards the living room. "Whacha doing?" She questioned her mother's leg, which was all of her mother she could see from around the couch.

Buffy entered the living room and froze as she got a full view of Joyce. She was crumpled on the couch, wide eyes staring blindly at the ceiling, an arm draped over the edge of the couch.

"Mom?" Buffy asked quietly, fear entering her voice. "Mom?" She asked again, even quieter. This couldn't be happening. Everything had been going so well. "Mommy?"

Total realization dawned on her face. "Noo!" she cried and stumbled backward. She felt a strong arm weave and tighten around her waist, pulling her against an equally strong chest. A hand gently caressed her cheek and turned her face into his neck.

Angel.

She turned to throw herself completely in his arms, and buried her face in his chest. She cried as if her world had ended, because, in a way, hadn't it?

He held her as she cried, finally sweeping her into his arms and carrying her out of the room and into her own.

There, her window was wide open and a breeze was fluttering her curtains. She took a moment to wonder why almost all her dreams involve Angel and sunlight. Probably his doing, but back to the pain and misery.

He placed her on the bed, and she promptly pulled him down with her. The pain and misery seemed further away when she was in his arms. Spooning, he swept the hair away from her face.

"Say the word, and I'll be here."

"Even if I don't, you'll still be here."

She felt him shrug.

"I love you, Buffy. I'll be here for you. If you need someone more to help take care of things, someone to take up slaying for awhile, or someone to hold you, I'll be right here. I promise."

She wrapped his arms around her tighter in response.

"I love you too."

She turned, facing those brown eyes that could see through any mask she put up. Desperately, she leaned forward. She was trapped in the terror and pain of the day she was reliving, and the solace that she was just dreaming, thus allowed to find comfort and support from quarters that, in real life, would bring the rest of her world crashing around her ears. So, she could lean forward, wrap herself in the only comfort that ever truly made her feel like the normal girl she still longed to be. He embraced her, as tightly and completely as he ever had. She had one moment of bliss when their lips met.

The rising sun had found its way in through her mother's window. Buffy's eyes flew open. She looked wildly around her. Dawn was curled up in a ball, miraculously balancing on the edge of the bed. Sighing, the Slayer forced out a deep breath, mentally chiding herself to calm down, turned on to her side, and tried again to sleep. Although, as Buffy fully realized, sleep would be a long time coming.

The vampire formerly known as Angelus, the One with the Angelic Face, after his dream faded into darkness, reached out in his sleep. When his wandering hands encountered empty bed, he awoke quickly. Feeling angry at himself for falling back to old habits, he laid back down to sleep away the day. The dream came back to him. As soon as the sun set, he would go to her. Neither would mention this dream, for that would take away the magic that bound them together. This tenuous connection was one they couldn't let go.

He would go. He would let her have a moment of weakness then urge her to go on. Then, he would leave. A man such as he was not fit for tempting fate. Yet he would, and in fact had, go to the ends of Hell itself for her sake. At twilight, his Hell would be to see the love of his unlife, then leave.

Love is fighting. It's hard, and it's everyday. But it's what they had to do. And they will do it together, even it if it's only in their dreams.


End file.
